Approximately 8 Million Mummified Dogs, Other Animals Unearthed In Egypt

A team of archaeologists has discovered some 8 million mummified dogs, puppies and other animals from a grave near an ancient temple in Memphis, Egypt. The mass grave was found near an ancient Egyptian catacomb, which was created in the honor of the Egyptian God of Death, Anubis, according to Yibada.

According to Cardiff University archeologists, some of the canine mummies have been robbed by the industrialists to be used as a fertilizer. The researchers further revealed that the mummies are not in very good condition, and that 8 million is just a reference to provide an idea about the number of animals that were buried at the site.

Paul Nicholson, an archaeologist from the university, conducted an extensive study on the mummified animals recovered from the site. Nicholson believes that the catacomb was built during the fourth century BC.

According to the archaeologists, the mass grave discovered has mummified remains of jackals, foxes and cats. However, nearly 92 percent of the remains have been identified as dogs.

Nicholson further discovered during the study that the mummified puppies did not have any identifiable injury -- like broken necks -- that depicts a physical action.